Inside 'Game of Thrones' Cinematography and Its Final Season

Game of Thrones season 7 has come and gone in a flash, and although HBO has left us with a behind-the-scenes miniseries that delves into everything that went into the 6 episodes, fans still fervor for more. To make matters worse, it’s rumored the next and final season of the show may not arrive until 2019, with even fewer episodes than the last.

We got a chance to talk to cinematographer David Franco, who has done work on episodes like season 4’s penultimate “The Watchers on the Wall,” season 5’s premiere “The Wars To Come” and its follow-up “The Door of Black and White.” He’s currently in Belfast scouting locations for the upcoming season and got a chance to talk about the Game of Thrones‘ cinematography and answer some questions about what’s in store for fans.

What’s the latest news on Season 8’s release date?

No official date yet. Sorry! We have a lot of work ahead of us though.

What episodes are most difficult as a cinematographer? Smaller, dialogue-driven episodes where detail is more paramount? Or big battles where spectacle is at the forefront?

They both present challenges of different kinds. For smaller, dialogue-driven episodes, creating the perfect intimacy while still driving the story forward in an interesting manner is the primary challenge. Plus, we always have to prioritize finding a shooting style that complements the amazing job that our cast delivers. On the big battle scenes, the difficulty we face is preplanning all the intricate tasks that the department has to deliver, from stunts to special effects in a setting that’s usually battered by real or recreated elements (snow, rain, wind, fire, etc.).  

You’ve done cinematography for large-scale GoT episodes as well as smaller. The show has moved towards even larger scaled episodes, larger than ever before. You’re scouting locations for season 8, how will this change your approach to the newer episodes?

The approach is basically the same, but on a bigger scale, since the challenge for this final season is obviously to step it up from season 7.

How much preparation did it take to capture the continuous shot of the battle within castle black’s walls from your perspective?

To achieve that kind of continuous shot, you always need to plan a lot to make sure you succeed. You must repeat the choreography of the camera and continuously adjust the choreography for weeks before actually shooting. Planning the lighting for a 360-degree shot is always delicate as well, as you don’t want a back light to become a front light when the camera points at the other direction.

How much of the show’s scenery is achieved using green screen?

Depending on the scene, it could be very little or more involved. When we shoot boat scene for example. Big landscape scenes are sometimes enhanced by adding a mountain peak but we have amazing sets built by our art team, which is led by Deborah Riley, so we take full advantage of that when we’re planning for the scene.

Who do you look towards for inspiration?

So many daily things in my life inspire me – nature, my kids, exploring local areas (when the light’s shining on my kids in a particular way, when the trees are particularly lifelike, etc.) – and I love to capture them on camera whenever I can. I also find going to museums is always very fruitful, as well as watching movies from the best filmmakers and trying to see how I would film/bring my own take on it :).

In the commentary track of Season 5 Episode 1, you (or maybe Michael Slovis) mentioned Jon and Mance’s conversation was one of your (his) favorite bits in the entire show. How does it feel to see that conversation come full circle in season 7 with Jon And Dany? “Isn’t their survival more important than your pride?”

Those moments are always great in GoT, and they are happening more often than we notice. In this case, Jon is in the other shoe and truly understands the dilemma that Mance faced at that time. When planning these scenes, we often apply a similar shooting style to subtly echo the other scene on a cinematography level and bring it full circle.

Any revisited locations from seasons prior?

Of course, a lot of our GoT world is still around, so we will naturally come back to [the] previous environment. Belfast is where our production center and studio is, so we are principally in Belfast. We always go to a stunning seaside Northern Ireland landscape around Belfast as well.

When I’m location scouting, I rarely carry a DSLR nowadays, so I use my smartphone to quickly take pictures and videos. The phone assists me in so many ways, helping me take down exact positioning of the shore, sun, tides, etc. at a given time. That’s why I partnered with LG to launch the new V30 smartphone, which was designed specifically for cinematic videography. As a DP [director of photography/cinematographer], I know the importance of video quality, so having a phone that produces high-quality videos conveniently is great when I’m visiting locations for the GoT.

Any new locations?

That is a secret :)

Will Ghost make a return in season 8?

Sorry, I can’t comment on future season(s) but everything is possible. Lots of things are still being decided!

Any memorable experiences with the cast?

Every day is amazing to be part of this adventure with this incredible cast and crew who grew up with the show, and what an amazing success it became! No egos get in the way of making of this amazing story.

Do you have any theories as to how GoT will end?

Of course, I have theories but the fan base is doing a much better job than I am at finding hidden clues of how the show will end.